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This volume consists of eight studies, each one bringing to light new material of use to comparative religionists and historians of religion, as well as·to students of Tibetan Buddhism. These studies are based on critical scrutiny of indigenous sources and, in many cases, the learned opinion of native Tibetan scholars. The studies are organized around two dominant themes in Tibetan religious life-the quest for clarity and insight via visionary exploration ...
How did a society on the edge of collapse and dominated by wandering bands of armed men give way to a vibrant Buddhist culture, led by yogins and scholars? Ronald M. Davidson explores how the translation and spread of esoteric Buddhist texts dramatically shaped Tibetan society and led to its rise as the center of Buddhist culture throughout Asia, replacing India as the perceived source of religious ideology and tradition.
Drawing on an extraordinary range of ...
Despite the rapid spread of Buddhism - especially the esoteric system of Tantra, one of its most popular, yet most misunderstood forms - the historical origins of Buddhist thought and practice remain obscure. This ground-breaking work describes the genesis of the Tantric movement in early medieval India, where it developed as a response to, and in some ways an example of the feudalization of Indian society. Drawing on primary documents - many translated for the ...